In 2015 the government launched a two year project to help fight hate crime
directed against Romanies and other minorities in the Czech Republic. With
the migrant crisis, the project acquired a broader scope and greater
urgency. In Iustitia, an NGO that helps victims of hate crime was involved
in the undertaking. I spoke to its founder, lawyer Klára Kalibová, to
find out more.
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Terne Chave is currently one of the most successful Romany bands in the
Czech Republic. Its seven members started out performing Romany songs at
special events in their home town of Hradec Kralové and ended up touring
European countries. Today they still draw on their Romany roots but they
compose their own music laced with Latino, jazz, punk, reggae, flamenco,
and rock. Check-out our Sunday Music show for a taste of what they have to
offer.
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Two years ago there were international headlines about the Czech amateur
soccer club that other teams were opting to forfeit three points to rather
than play – because their players were members of the Roma minority.
Staff from a number of Prague embassies formed a side to take on Roma
Děčín in a friendly as a gesture of support. Now the club, and in
particular two of its organisers, are the focus of the subtle, often
amusing documentary FC Roma, which recently shared top prize at Jihlava.
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Czech Culture Minister Daniel Herman has indicated significant progress
made in negotiations aimed at removing a pig farm from the site of a former
Romany concentration camp. The presence of the farm at Lety, south Bohemia,
has plagued several administrations and elicited sharp criticism from the
European Commission.
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The European Committee of Social Rights has concluded that the Czech
Republic has violated the European Social Charter in failing to provide
sufficient access to housing, health care and education to the Roma
minority. The committee which dealt with a complaint by the European Roma
and Travellers Forum said the Czech Republic has violated articles 11 and
16 of the Social Charter. The ERTF complained that Roma in the Czech
Republic face lack of accessible housing, residential segregation,
inadequate living conditions and forced evictions as well as discrimination
in education through the practice of placing many Roma children in schools
for pupils with learning disabilities.Read more

The government agreed on Monday it will seek an expert valuation of the
land housing a controversial pig farm in Lety, south Bohemia, which was the
site of a labour camp and later concentration camp during WWII where Roma
were interned; around 300 people died there due to disease and poor
treatment and some 500 people were sent on to Auschwitz. Past governments
considered buying the property for the farm to be relocated but failed; the
current cabinet has agreed to try deal with the issue. Finding a solution
is one of the priorities of the human rights minister Jiří Dienstbier;
but there has been speculation that Mr Dienstbier could be one of the
ministers dropped in a pending cabinet reshuffle..Read more

Over 80 MEPs have signed an appeal for the European Commission to secure
the removal of a pig farm at Lety, south Bohemia, built on the site of a
former Romany concentration camp. In a letter to the President of the
European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, its signatories point out that the
Czech Republic failed to resolve the shameful problem in three decades and
action is long overdue. Several Czech governments pledged to remove the pig
farm from Lety, but failed to find money for a buyout.Read more

Czech Minister for Human rights Jiří Dienstbier, said Monday that the
government would prefer a buyout of a pig farm standing on the site of a
camp at which Roma were interned during the second world war before
hundreds were sent onto death camps in the east. Many also died at the camp
due to illness and poor conditions. The farm owners also indicated their
willingness to discuss a sale.Read more